basics

Patrick Whitefield, author of the Earth Care Manual lets us film his introduction to Permaculture. Patrick talks briefly about the beginnings of Permaculture and looks at why it is now more important than ever to adopt the methods of design.

Ryan Harb shares his experience creating the first Public University Permaculture Garden in the nation and explains how we can use permaculture to empower ourselves and make a difference in our community and the world.

Ryan Harb is a certified permaculture designer, community organizer and was the first person in the nation to receive a Master of Science degree in Green Building. In 2010, Harb created a job for himself as Sustainability Manager for UMass Amherst Dining Services. He then began developing one of the first university permaculture gardens in the nation that supplies locally grown produce and hands-on sustainability education to the campus and local community. Within 18 months, “The UMass Permaculture Initiative” went viral and was featured in over 100 media publications including the New York Times, Boston Globe, Huffington Post, and on MTV. The project has engaged over 3,500 volunteers and won 8 national awards. In 2012, Harb was invited to the White House to meet and speak alongside President Barack Obama. He was named a “White House Campus Champion of Change”, and UMass Permaculture was voted the top university program in the country that’s changing the world for the better.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.

Energy systems in a Permaculture design are small scale and decentralized, using renewable sources. This video gives a very brief glance at types of renewable energy systems commonly employed in Permaculture.

Design for water is the bones of any Permaculture system and often times the way the layout works with water determines the basic shape of things. The Permaculture principles, which tell us to Observe and Interact and Design from Patterns to Details, need to be followed and developed in order for us to design for water on our sites. Termperate, Tropical, and Dryland climates each pose unique opportunities while designing for water.

Soil is a crucial part of life and especially food production. Learn about the components of soil and what it means for food production, water storage, and nutrient availability in tropical, dryland, and temperate climates.